Scandal? What scandal? I have been trying so hard to be
non-judgmental, tolerant of people's opinions when they differ from
mine. Bernie allegedly made off with $50 billion, and everyone is
morally outraged and shamelessly calls it a scandal (I remember when
being 24 and single was a scandal), and Bernie is called a goniff.

So what are the rules? We must be tolerant of sin but not crime? We
should tolerate cheating in marriage but not in hedge funds?

Let's assume there are real scandals and unacceptable behavior
that we must condemn or lose our moral soul. Yet, what should we think
of the person who commits these acts?

First, enlarge the problem from person to people to the human
condition. My grandfather would say, in Yiddish, "A mensch is a
foolish creature." Humans are flawed, weak and corruptible, not
just this one guy. Second, find the same failing in yourself; I may
never lie to a grand jury, but lying is lying.

In short, we must remember to be more intolerant of our own faults
than of the failings of others.

Rabbi Manis Friedman

Bais Chana Institute of Jewish Studies

St. Paul, MN

Modern Orthodox

For the most part, the tempest of breast beating in the Jewish
community over the Bernie Madoff swindle is not called for.

The investors were neither reckless nor greedy. Madoff exploited
friendship networks and country club connections, presenting himself as
a conservative investor and involved Jewish philanthropist living a
respectable family life. What Madoff did was dastardly and ruinous;
thousands will be deprived of needed help. If guilty, he should go to
jail and be disgraced. But his victims should not be blamed, nor should
they blame themselves. He exploited the best values of the Jewish people
to get away with a swindle. But what is the lesson? Not to trust Jewish
philanthropists? Not to admire people who are involved in charity work
lest they be crooks?

Historically, Jews were taught that any action by any Jew reflects
on all Jews--and on God. Marginalized anti-Semites have blamed Madoff on
the Jews; mainstream America has not. The Jewish community has
traditionally sought to be responsible for its needy and to condemn
wrong behavior by Jews to protect themselves from backlash.

Jews should continue to practice their best values--and condemn the
Bernie Madoffs of this world. In this case the Jewish community should
not feel guilt!

Rabbi Yitz Greenberg

New York, NY

Sephardi

When innocent people are harmed as a result of the selfish ambition
of those whom they trust, the outcome is always scandalous and tragic.
However, when such abuse of good faith involves intentionally placing
the assets of nascent charitable institutions in serious jeopardy, it
seems no exaggeration to label it reprehensible.

In this regard it is irrelevant whether the perpetrators of
corruption were Jewish or non-Jewish. Although as Jews we are indeed
expected to hold ourselves to a higher moral standard than the rest of
the world, the fact remains that trespasses against justice are offenses
directed against the very fabric of civilization. Their significance
transcends divisions of religion, race or ethnicity. The sanctity of
society is desecrated whenever anyone--Jew or Gentile--exploits his or
her fellows for personal gain; and the more egregious the transgression,
the more vulnerable the unsuspecting victims, the more painful and
destructive the consequences, the more profound is the damage thus
inflicted upon the moral fiber of our communities.

Rabbi Joseph Maroof

Magen David Sephardic Congregation

Rockville, MD

Conservative

The Madoff case is particularly painful to the Jewish community
because Madoff allegedly used networks of friendship, landsmanschaft and
communal service, and the trust those relationships foster, to recruit
victims for his scheme. That Judaism eschews falsehood in financial
dealings is a foundation of our tradition, grounded in the aspiration
toward sanctifying the mundane. The Talmud and Midrash equate the
Torah's injunction against "placing a stumbling block before
the blind" with providing bad advice to unsuspecting individuals in
business affairs.

Rather than take the attitude of caveat emptor, let the buyer
beware, Jewish tradition reinforces the ethical obligations of parties
to a business transaction. Yet, beware we must.

There is a Jewish principle that those in a position of public
trust must take extra precautions to remain above suspicion. For
example, one who collects tzedekah should not make change for himself
from the collection lest someone think he is stealing. Although we can
never fully inoculate ourselves against thieves or those who merely fail
to live up to their duties, by taking that extra level of caution, we
can help build and maintain the trust that our community places in us.

Rabbi Julie Schonfeld

Director of Rabbinic Development

The Rabbinical Assembly

New York, NY

Reform

Remember the cold mornings of January '09? Remember the
grating of hope and enthusiasm for renewal and change against the
disturbingly familiar: war in Gaza, economic meltdown and, as if things
were not bad enough, those Jewish names that riddled the news: old
names, like Marc Rich; newer names, like Bernard Madoff? Remember slurs
involving "Jewish bankers" and "Jewish control" of
financial systems that mushroomed in the blogosphere and news sites?

Greed and deceit are not Jewish issues. They are human failings and
civic-political challenges that demand civic attention. Yet, the
emphasis on the Jewish identities and affiliations of alleged and
convicted fraudsters invite an association between the wrongdoer and
other Jews. It feeds the insinuation that Jews play by different, hidden
rules. It undermines both the credibility of Jews as citizens and of the
polity they are believed to exploit.

Guilt by association is not just embarrassing--it's unfair.
The Talmudic discussion of the phrase "kol yisrael arevim zeh
ba-zeh" ("all Israel are liable for each other")
highlights the injustice inherent in collective punishment. Why should
innocent Jews suffer for another's offense if they could not
prevent it? Our conscience tells us we should not and that guilt by
association and collective punishment are not just unfair to Jews. They
are unfair to everybody.

Memo for a new economic paradigm, rooted in Jewish values, to be
called "against excess:"

1. Say goodbye to jingoism. Too many Jews trusted blindly in one of
us. Stop assuming that Members of Our Tribe don't bilk or cheat (or
drink, abuse or do stupid, mean things); stop assuming that others do.
We're all in it together.

2. Face it: We're all chumps in one big Ponzi scheme called
our economy. Markets won't really grow indefinitely; today's
upper-class standard of living is not sustainable across the board.
Think l'dor v'dor, from generation to generation, not from
quarterly earnings report to earnings report.

3. Refocus on what really matters: connection, not convenience;
menschlekheit, not mastery; prophets, not profits; the whole, not the
part. Idolatry can be defined as worshipping partial truths, like
"get ahead." Madoff's worst sins, and ours, start here.

4. Long ago, fresh from a month's retreat at an idyllic
institute, my first stop in civilization was a throbbing mega-mall in
Los Angeles; it felt like the end of the world. Less is more.

So: Bummed investors, or folks who just want to live more lightly
on this good earth, remember two great Jewish teachings: dayeinu--what
we already have is enough for us. And Ben Zoma's redefinition in
the Mishnah (Avot 4:1) of "Who is rich? Whoever is content with
their lot."

Rabbi Fred Sherlinder Dodd

Adat Shalom Reconstructionist

Congregation

Bethesda, MD

Renewal

Hasidic teachings instruct that before an aliyah (ascent) there is
a yeridah (descent) in behavior and in consciousness. Ascending requires
a tikkun (repair or restoration). Who would argue that the financial
scandals have taken us to the bottom? The Talmud states that when we are
judged in the next world the first question will be: "Nasata
v'natata b'emunah (Were you faithful and honest in
business?)" Using that which is entrusted to you for harm is nezik
(damage), and restitution and a guilt offering are required.

If the damage is so large that restitution is impossible, the
Talmudic principle of liability tells us that the offender must do
t'shuvah and turn the offense into good deeds. We must have an open
mind for this principle to work. In the '60s, when I saw no moral
gray, I challenged a distinguished rabbi who had accepted a large
donation to build a Jewish education institution from a former colleague
of Al Capone. I argued that it was dirty money. The rabbi asked,
"How do you know that this isn't a part of his
t'shuvah?"

Rabbi Victor Gross

Co-rabbi of Pardes Levavot

Boulder, CO

Humanist

Because of the high intimacy in the Jewish world, it takes far less
than "six degrees of separation" to establish links to people
or organizations that were directly affected by Bernard Madoff's
alleged Ponzi scheme.

But let's make something very clear. We don't own this
scandal. This was not a Jew-on-Jew crime. Although many of Madoff's
victims are Jewish, their being Jewish and his being Jewish are beside
the point. This was, it seems, purely a devious and malevolent financial
fraud that violated laws, ethics and an assumption of trust. It does not
merit a special condemnation or apology from the Jewish community. It
does require swift prosecution and assessment of what kinds of oversight
were lacking and are needed to prevent this crime from re-occurring.

I find it distasteful that so many Jews customarily breathe a sigh
of relief when a convicted criminal turns out not to be Jewish. We
anxiously unleash a destructive form of ethnic typing on ourselves.

Instead, let us focus on our ability to reach out to those who have
become impoverished. We can draw a valuable lesson from how we have
faced adversity in the past with remarkable resilience and renewal of
optimism.

Rabbi Peter Schweitzer

The City Congregation

for Humanistic Judaism

New York, NY

Independent

Business ethics has been a consistent theme in our people's
lives. Deuteronomy emphasizes the need for "just weights," and
the Talmud devotes an entire tractate to just business practices.
Unfortunately these visions are either unknown or blatantly ignored by
unscrupulous individuals who identify themselves as part of our Jewish
heritage. Some offer atonement by making large gifts to Jewish
philanthropic institutions, such as Ivan Boesky's generous donation
to the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. I was troubled by the
acceptance of the gift because it appeared to violate Deuteronomy, which
forbids us to use "the wages of a prostitute or the hiring of a dog
for the Temple service." The opposite occurred with Bernard Madoff
inasmuch as he purportedly bankrupted numerous Jewish philanthropic
institutions. Atonement offerings have always prescribed an admission of
guilt as a prerequisite for the gift to be accepted. A sociopath invariably is incapable of admitting guilt with any degree of sincerity.

The Jewish community should be shocked and indignant if justice is
not attained in relation to such individuals. Incarceration is not
punitive but rather preventative. There is no alternative way of
ensuring that the sociopathic character disorder does not increase the
number of victims targeted. How ironic that Madoff's injustice
should have devastated so many institutions that exist to perform acts
of tzedaka, i.e., justice.

Rabbi Harold White

Senior Jewish Chaplain

Georgetown University, Washington, DC

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